Sanitary attachment for settee



May 27, 1958 N. SPETNER SANITARY ATTACHMENT FOR sE TEE Filed March 7, 1956 INVENTOR. NORMAN SPETNEI? ATTORNEY Unite SANITARY ATTAiIHMENT FGR SETTEE Application March 7, 1956, derial No. 570,176

1 Claim. (Cl. 155-432) This invention pertains to means for protecting a settee such as is used in booths at refreshment stands and the like from an unsanitary accumulation of crumbs and other food particles.

Such settees are ordinarily built with a seat cushion and a back cushion. These two cushions ordinarily meet in a line along the back of the seat cushion and the bottom edge of the back cushion where a gap is usually found between the two cushions. As the settee is used in the service of food to customers, the food crumbs, which almost inevitably collect on the seat, have been found to gradually work their way back so that eventually they fall through this gap into the interior structure of the settee. Of course, an accumulation of such debris over a period of time leads to unsanitary conditions.

An objective of this invention, therefore, is to provide simple means for closing the gap between two such cushions in such a manner that crumbs will be arrested in a position where they can be removed by the ordinary cleaning operations such as wiping with a cloth.

Another object is to provide a novel form of closure strip which can be mounted to bridge the gap between the two seat cushions, so as to close this gap and prevent the passage of crumbs therethrough.

Another object is to provide such a closure strip which can be easily applied and which may be secured so as to remain in position for a long time.

Generally stated, therefore, this invention provides a strip of suitable stifi but resilient material having a sort of star-shaped cross-section, two arms of the star providing a closure or sealing strip which may be mounted to bridge the gap between the two seat cushions. The third arm extends to the rear to form a tacking strip whereby the device may be secured to the settee structure.

A preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a settee to which a closure strip has been applied in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a section, somewhat enlarged, taken about on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing a cross-section of the strip and one way of attaching it to the settee structure, and

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of one end of the strip prepared to make the end fastening to the settee structure.

Referring to the drawing, the settee structure shown in Fig. 1 includes a base 1 of any suitable construction on which is mounted a seat cushion 2 and a back cushion 3. These cushions may be of any usual type, and as ordinarily constructed, a narrow slot or gap ordinarily appears between the bottom edge of the cushion 3 and the rear edge of the cushion 2. In accordance with this invention, this gap is closed by a strip, indicated generally ates atent O 2,836,229 Patented May 27, 1958 at 4, which is mounted to extend along said slot between the two cushions.

The strip 4 is constructed of a suitable stiff but resilient material which is also tough enough to be durable. it been found that a plastic compound of ethyl cellulose provides a strip having these desirable qualities. The strip may be made by any well known process, usually as a continuous strip having the star-shaped cross-section shown in Fig. 2. By virtue of this shape, the two upper arms 5 of the star, which in the embodiment shown make an angle of about with each other, form the cross sections of a pair of webs which together form a troughshape-d closure strip 6. A third web 7 extends to the rear from the junction of the two webs 5. This web is made wide enough so as to reach a longitudinal structural member 8 of the seat structure as shown in Fig. 2. The web 7 may be attached to the member 8 by nails 9 or other suitable fastening means. However, it is usually satisfactory to leave the web 7 unattached. The assembly is so made that the side edges of the web 5 engage the cushions 2 and 3, respectively, with considerable pressure so that they will maintain contact with those cushions when the settee is occupied and when the occupants move about thereon.

In assembling the strip 4 on the settee, an end section of the rear web 7 is cut away, as indicated at 10 in Fig. 3. These cut-away ends are made long enough so that they may be pulled down and bent back around the ends of the settee structure, as shown at 11 in Fig. l, and these ends are then secured to said structure by nails or screws or other suitable fasteuings.

When so assembled, the strip 4 is under tension lengthwise, and has also been pulled to the rear between the two cushions. The end fastenings at 11 are made while the strip is under end tension so as to hold the same firmly in contact with the cushions 2 and 3. Accordingly, the closure web 6 is securely wedged between the two cushions so that the flexure of those cushions by the movement of the occupant will not open the gap. With the gap closed in this manner, whatever food particles or other debris which may be dropped on to the settee cushion 2 will be arrested by the strip 4 and held thereby until suitable cleaning operations can be carried out.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention. Parts of the invention may be used without the whole and improvements may be added while retaining some or all of the advantages of the invention.

I claim:

In combination with a seat structure having a seat cushion and a back cushion, said cushions closely adjoining one another at their adjacent edges, a sealing strip of stifi but resilient material having a cross web bridging the gap between said cushions and in close contact with both and a rear web extending downward between said cushions, the end portions of said rear web being cut away and the end portions of said cross web being bent rearwardly, and means securing the end portions of said cross web to the ends of the seat structure, said resilient strip being pulled down between said cushions and maintained under tension by said means.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 

